Victoria the Chihuahua, 'dognapped' from T.J. O'Connor Animal Control Center in Springfield, safely returned - with new green dress to boot

Victoria the Chihuahua, seen here in a pink sweater at the T.J. O'Connor Animal Control Center, was safely returned here, early Wednesday morning after two women walked away with her late Tuesday afternoon.

“They had some fashion sense, I guess,” said center director Pam Peebles, of the two young women who took the 2½ pound dog out for a walk around 4 p.m. and never returned.

The theft, however, was no laughing matter. “We were pretty panicked,” Peebles said. “She has a number of different medical issues that we are watching and treating.”

Peebles said the news of the stolen dog spread fast after the center reported the theft on its Facebook page. Around midnight, however, the canine caper edged towards resolution when the center received a call from a man who said he knew the two women and wanted to return the dog anonymously.

An animal control officer agreed and a short time later that man arrived at the center with Victoria, attired in the green dress that her dognappers apparently outfitted her with.

“Their intention was to take care of her,” Peebles said. “They didn’t mean to mean her any harm.”

The women had expressed interest in adopting the dog when they arrived at the center Tuesday afternoon. It’s not unusual, Peebles said, for potential adopters to ask to take their potential pets outside before making their decision.

A volunteer, however, failed to ask the women for identification, standard operating procedure at the center, before they left with the dog, Peebles said.

The chihuahua, believed to be about 4-years-old, came to the center about two weeks ago after a man spotted her on Main Street. “She was doing a lot of coughing and was very lethargic,” Peebles said.

Center personnel named the little dog Victoria in honor of the man who found her, who is named Victor, Peebles said.

A family from West Springfield will likely arrive at the facility today to finalize their adoption of the dog.

“They were very very relieved,” Peebles said. “They were so worried about her.”